Selecting an ebook reader

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by radius

I don't consider the openness of epub and mobi to be in the same class at all!

For example, I download books from Mobileread exclusively in epub format even if I intend to read on a Kindle. The reason for that is epub, to me, is a far superior archival format.

If I build a book and turn it into an epub, you can get back out exactly the source files I put in. If I then turn it into a mobi and give that to you, even with the available tools, you can't get back the original book source unless you don't strip it and keep the original epub inside, in which case why not just use epub to begin with?

What does that have to do with openness? If I turn an EPUB into a TXT, that loses even more source info -- and TXT is the most open format of all.

Lossy/non-lossy is a totally different issue altogether.

[radius]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

What does that have to do with openness? If I turn an EPUB into a TXT, that loses even more source info -- and TXT is the most open format of all.

Lossy/non-lossy is a totally different issue altogether.

I get where you are coming from, but to me, open-ness isn't just about whether I can read the final result, it's also about whether I can tinker under the hood.

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by radius

I get where you are coming from, but to me, open-ness isn't just about whether I can read the final result, it's also about whether I can tinker under the hood.

You can tinker under the hood with AZW3.